Heartbeats

Just as life seemed picture perfect the nail ripped from the wall and the frame shattered on an unforgiving floor. The author', Jef Huntsman's youngest son's life spiraled into the unknown after a massive seizure on the kitchen tile. Then, with the family still reeling from the shock of that, Jef has a massive cardiac arrest while doing nothing more strenuous than taking his son to school. But it's more than that. He shares his story to hopes the reader will find your own positive coping mechanisms during times of great tragedy, holding on to the belief that things can get better. We as humans seek ways to cope with disaster-the death of loved ones, loss of legs, debilitating diseases, or feelings of mortality. Jef used humor, laughter, smiles, and sarcasm to pull him from the reality that things in life are not always fair. Those gifts provided short, then eventually longer breaks from the the tragedies that had struck. Think about this: one-third of his heart was nothing but dead, black muscle. He was given three to five years to live. Twenty years later, the author's still pounding in fence posts at his ranch and singing every morning. Here's what that says to you: Never abandon hope. Never forget that there is a shinning star even in the most desperate of human trials.